The Plot Gets Thicker: The Jordan Schafer Bust

This just gets weirder and weirder. Jordan Schafer (the guy who used to be our future) was busted by Major League Baseball’s new Department of Investigations, as their very first casualty. As there is currently no test that MLB recognizes to prove HGH use, Jordan’s bust came on the basis of testimony from another person, whom ESPN identifies as “a player who had previously violated MLB’s anti-doping policy.” A lot of people find this story credible because of Schafer’s incredible 2007, where he seemed to come out of nowhere to put himself on the map by tearing up class-A Rome. This is a spurious connection. There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that HGH makes you a better ballplayer. As far as his great year is concerned, plenty of players have catapulted themselves from anonymity to fame on the basis of a terrific year in the minors. Moreover, as Bill James recently said, there’s “ absolutely ” no way to infer w...